


Come Back To Me

by Alonestar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Keith needs to decide, M/M, Stay or leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-03-10 00:42:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13493238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alonestar/pseuds/Alonestar
Summary: Lance hasn't seen Keith in a while and misses his boyfriend. He really wishes that Keith would stay, but Keith feels responsible as a member of the Blade. Leaving has dire consequences, but staying?Staying might just have been the right choice.Now if he could only reverse time...





	1. Chapter 1

Cold hands touched smooth warm skin. Lance let out a small moan as Keith inched his hands lower until they settled on his waist. The younger teen leaned forward to place a kiss upon the other’s lips. His own lips stretched into a smile.

 

“I missed you,” he whispered, hands entangling into dark, thick hair.

 

“I missed you too,” Keith mumbled back, trailing kisses down Lance’s neck. His tongue peeked out, drawing a line down his throat. He then proceeded to bite into the former blue paladin’s neck. Lance released another moan, louder in volume. He tightened his grip on Keith’s mullet as his mind was bombarded with thoughts that he didn’t want to have at that particular moment—not when Keith was there, cradling him in his arms and making him feel warm and safe.

 

“You,” Lance breathed out as Keith sucked on his neck. “You aren’t leaving again, are you? You aren’t going back with the Blade, right? You’re…You’re staying…right?”

 

Blue eyes stared pleadingly into dark grey eyes. Keith frowned slightly, one of his hands moving up to hold Lance’s cheek. He watched Lance bite his lip, his eyes dimming as hope drained from his body. Keith felt anger bubble up inside of him. He was angry with himself for making Lance look so hopeless. He took Lance by the chin and forced the younger teen to look at him when he started to turn away.

 

“I’m leaving,” Keith said, hurrying to continue when he saw Lance’s eyes begin to water. “But! But I’ll be coming back, Lance. Always.”

 

“That’s what you always say, Keith. But you come back every three weeks if I’m lucky. A month to three months  or even longer if I’m not,” Lance let out a shaky sigh. “I…I don’t know if I can…If I can…”

 

“Lance?” Keith’s eyes widened as he watched blue orbs pool with tears.

 

“I don’t think I can wait that long again, Keith. I miss you. I miss you so, so much. Why can’t you stay with me here? Please, Keith? You are the rightful red paladin anyway. You can return to your position, like Shiro returned to his. I—I…I need you here, Keith.”

 

“Lance…I’m not needed here. I have no place in Voltron anymore. Red is yours. I belong with the Blade now. I’m needed there. I thought you understood that,” Keith said, pulling away from Lance. He immediately realized that he made the wrong move when Lance’s expression closed up, watching as an emotional mask was built right before his eyes. Lance was smiling again and the tears had vanished.

 

“You’re right. You’re right. I think I’m gonna hit the hay. I’m feeling awfully tired. You too, right? Long day and all. We really should get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow Keith.”

 

When Keith opened his mouth to protest—to pull Lance in and hold him for eternity, to kiss him and cradle him and keep him safe and loved—Lance’s eyes met his, and he closed his mouth. 

 

“Goodnight Keith,” Lance stated, staring pointedly at Keith. The older teen felt his body move on its own towards the door. He turned around as the door closed, catching a glimpse of Lance as his mask fell apart slowly.

 

Keith wanted nothing more than to walk back into Lance’s room and hold the boy in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to remain by his side. But, Keith had work to do. He had a responsibility as a member of the Blade.

 

He walked back to his room, heart heavy and mind filled with warring thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as a drabble. I wanted this to just be a oneshot...Then the summary happened.  
> Should I continue on?


	2. Chapter 2

He was gone in the morning. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Lance felt his eyes burn with unwanted and unshed tears. His hands were clenched so tightly that half-crescent moons formed on his palms from his fingernails biting into his skin. It seemed like Keith had said his farewells to the rest of the team, Lance observed as Hunk and Pidge happily chatted about Keith giving them some trinkets from his previous mission with the Blade before he left. Shiro was also smiling, Allura sitting beside him with her eyes sparkling. Coran, too, was standing off to the side of the room, happily humming as he tapped a gooey substance Keith had gotten him.

 

Lance left the room before anybody even noticed his presence.

 

He reached his room under five minutes, his vision blurry as he navigated his way to his bed. He collapsed onto it and let out a quiet sob. He had expressed to Keith just how much he wanted him to stay, how much he missed him. Then his boyfriend just leaves without a word?

 

So, maybe he didn’t want to talk to Lance so that the former blue paladin wouldn’t try to convince him to stay again. Or maybe he didn’t want to talk to Lance because—because—

 

Lance shook his head. He wiped furiously at his eyes, sniffling a bit. If Keith didn’t want to talk to him, if he didn’t want to say goodbye before he left, then—then Lance would just ignore him as well. He decided that he wouldn’t call Keith. If Keith wanted to talk, he could call Lance.

 

The former blue paladin felt his chest tighten. 

 

He already missed Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thanks for the encouragement. The comments really made me happy. And the kudos as well. Lol. It pushed me to test the waters with this chapter. If you guys still wish for me to continue, let me know. But, I hope you all don't mind if the length of the chapters change. Some will be shorter, some will be longer. Oh! And I probably won't be able to update every day. Lol. (I was just excited.)


	3. Chapter 3

The Gala were quick and merciless in their attack against the small white planet. They tore the planet apart, killing many innocent and frightened aliens. Voltron arrived a little too late. There wasn’t much they could do to save the planet, instead forced to watch as it fell apart piece by piece.

 

The Blade arrived even later. They arrived when the Galra released their strongest robeast to date. They arrived when the robeast began beating down Voltron. They arrived after the destruction of the small white planet and at the beginning of the destruction of Voltron.

 

Keith yelled at Kolivan to get the team moving as he made his way towards the nearest ship and flew out towards Voltron, desperately trying to reach his friends before it was too late. He was nearly there when the robeast suddenly turned sharply towards him and reached out a long claw.

 

In a split second, Voltron disassembled and the red lion flashed before his eyes, blocking the attack and taking the brunt of the damage as the robeast swept the lion towards the destroyed planet. Keith felt time slow as he watched his lion and his boyfriend crash into a large piece of broken land. Fire erupted around them and smoke hindered his vision.

 

Panicked, Keith moved his ship over to the crash, jumping out of the ship before it even came to a halt. He ran on shaky legs, stumbling over the rubble around him. As he reached Red, he immediately tried to connect with the lion in order to get in and check on Lance. But the lion did not respond. He tried shouting Lance’s name, but there was no response to that either.

 

Dread filled him as he scrambled to the lion’s side, placing both hands on Red. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling something wet slide down his cheeks. Ignoring the sensation, he mumbled under his breath, a mantra of his boyfriend’s name.

 

“Lance, Lance,” he whispered brokenly, “ please, please, _please_.”

 

Suddenly Red opened his mouth for Keith to enter, and without hesitation Keith rushed in. Passed out on the seat, Lance was sprawled in an uncomfortable looking position. Keith ran over to his side and helped him into a better position, running his hand through soft curls.

 

“Fucking hell, please be alright,” Keith cried. Lance stirred in his arms, blue eyes fluttering open to peer into his stormy grey eyes. A soft hand came up to rest upon his cheek.

 

“K-Keith?” The boy whispered, voice soft.

 

“Lance!” Keith cried out and cradled the teen closer, rocking them back and forth in his relief. “Fuck, fuck, _fuck_. I almost lost you. I—Lance, we need to get you back to the Castle and into a healing pod. Shit, how injured are you?”

 

Keith ran his eyes over the other’s figure and noticed a deep red seeping from Lance’s paladin’s armor. The blood dripped onto the floor, pooling beneath them. There was so much. _Too_ much. Keith’s heart came to a stop, his mouth moving but no words escaping as he became choked up.

 

“Keith?” Lance whispered again, his eyes closing slowly. “Keith, I’m cold. Why’s it so c-cold.”

 

“Fuck,” Keith breathed, his voice cracking and his hands gripping tighter on Lance’s form. “No, no. Keep those beautiful eyes open, babe. Don’t you dare fall asleep on me.”

 

“B-But Keith…’M so…t-tired. T-Tired and c-cold,” Lance mumbled.

 

“Damn it, Lance! Stay awake!” He shouted, lifting the boy up and settling him in his lap as he maneuvered himself into the chair. “Come on Red. To the Castle. We don’t have time.”

 

Red responded instantly to him and he managed to steer the lion away from the battle still going on between his former teammates and the robeast, making his way to the Castle. By the time he landed Red into the hangar, Lance’s breaths were shallow and few. Keith didn’t even realize how much he was shaking until he brought his hands to Lance’s sides to lift him up once more.

 

“Why….are you s-shaking, Keith?” Lance asked between shallow breaths. Keith’s vision blurred as he hugged the teen closer to himself and stood up.

 

“Don’t speak, Lance. Just…Just stay awake for me, alright?” Keith exited the red lion and ran towards the healing pods, careful to not jostle the former blue paladin too much.

 

“Keith, my boy, what are you doing h—Is that?” Coran’s eyes widened as he noticed the long trail of blood that ran all the way back to the hangars.

 

“No time, Coran!” Keith shouted and ran past the Altean. He made it to the pods, shoving his boyfriend into one quickly.

 

“K-Keith…”

 

“You’ll be alright, Lance. I swear it. I’m not letting you go,” Keith declared, gaze fierce but filled with tears. The pod closed, encasing Lance within it. Keith stood, right hand placed upon the encasing of the pod for a minute or so before his legs gave out and he fell to the ground. He looked up at Lance’s peaceful expression and clenched his fists.

 

This was all his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, yeah. Guess I'll be continuing this story until people lose interest. Heh.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos. Hope I don't disappoint. Lol.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter was just flashbacks. Not too sure how I feel about this one...
> 
> Let me know how you guys are feeling about this chapter in the comments. (And thank you all for the kudos and comments on the previous chapter. I've been wanting to post this one for a while, but I didn't want to post it so soon after the other one.)
> 
> (Alsooo, moved this note to the beginning. Thanks for the feedback on that.)

Soft, plush lips pressed against pale skin. Blue eyes peered into grey. Rough hands gripped smooth skin. Quiet words whispered into the otherwise silent room, resulting in the rustling of sheets and the sound of musical laughter.

 

It was everything Keith never dreamed of, but everything he had always needed.

 

As he laid there, arms wrapped around the most precious person in his life, he couldn’t help but wonder if they would always remain this way. He knew that at least on his end, he would never grow tired of the other’s laughter, smile, bright eyes—of Lance’s everything.

 

And as the younger teen shifted in his arms to stare up lovingly at him, fingers trailing his jawline, Keith realized that this—was this love? If it wasn’t, then it was something more amazing, something nobody had ever discovered before them—would never grow old.

 

* * *

 

 

“Keith?”

 

“Hm?”

 

Lance huddled closer into his side, hands pressed against his clothed chest. His face was hiding within the crook of Keith’s neck, lips moving across his skin as the younger teen spoke softly.

 

“I love you.”

 

Keith felt his heart skip a beat as the words reached his ears.

 

“I miss you.”

 

He had to leave the next day.

 

“I need you.”

 

The Blade needed him.

 

“So…Please don’t leave me again.”

 

He had a responsibility.

 

“I don’t want to miss you, Keith. I want you by my side.”

 

“…Lance,” Keith mumbled. “I love you too. You know that.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” the words were muffled as Lance pressed a kiss against his neck, trailing down to his chest. Keith gripped the other’s shoulder causing him to cease in his affectionate actions.

 

“And you also know that I am needed there. You know I have my responsibilities, just as you have your own.”

 

“I know that, Keith—”

 

“If you know that, then please,” Keith paused, staring into sad blue pools. “Please stop asking me to stay.”

 

“B-But Keith…I…”

 

“You’re just making it harder for me to leave, Lance. And you know I can’t stay.”

 

“But you can! You _can_ stay! You know that the Blade can carry on without—”

 

“Voltron can function without me, Lance! You guys are fine without me! I need to do something useful, okay? I’m needed somewhere else.”

 

“You’re needed here too, Keith. I need you—”

 

“The Blade needs me!”

 

“…Okay…Alright,” Lance breathed out, pulling away from Keith. The older teen fought against the urge to reach out and pull the other back in.

 

“Lance,” Keith huffed.

 

“No. You know what Keith? You’re not the only one with feelings. You’re not the only one who feels insecure and lost, okay? I’m sure everyone on the team feels that way at least some days—but I definitely feel insecure most days, okay? I went to you about that issue! Remember? With the _leave the math to Pidge_?”

 

“Lance—”

 

“So what you are saying right now is that if I was the one without the lion, like I was supposing would happen—hell, I probably should of never went to you if this was the way things would turn out—then you’re saying I would have no use being on the team despite not having a lion. You’re saying I would be useless, just as I feared. There would be no point for me being here,” Lance swung his arms around as he ranted at Keith, eyes tearing up.

 

“That’s not—”

 

“No, Keith. That’s _exactly_ what you are saying. What you are going through right now? That—That’s my fault. Quiznak. I shouldn’t have gone to you. This is my fault. All my fault.”

 

Keith reached out and pulled the teen towards him, holding him tightly.

 

“It’s not, Lance. I swear—”

 

“Don’t lie to me Keith. Things wouldn’t be this way if we never had to switch lions, or if when we did and Shiro returned, everyone would return to their former places. But things didn’t go that way. Blue doesn’t respond to me anymore, Keith. It’s like we never had a bond. I’ve been left behind too many times to count. I know when I’m just a replacement,” Lance muttered bitterly.

 

“You’re not a replacement, Lance!”

 

Things were spiraling out of control. Lance never felt so far away than he did in that moment.

 

“Red still responds to you. You belong with Voltron, Keith. If anyone doesn’t belong, it’s me. I’m just…I’m just a place-holder. Here until you finally come to your senses,” Lance gave an emotionless laugh.

 

“No,” Keith yelled, grabbing Lance by the chin. “You’re worth more than anyone on this ship—more than anyone in the universe!”

 

“See? If this is how you see me, then don’t you know your own worth?” Lance asked, eyes glaring into Keith’s. “Keith, you _are_ needed here. Even if you don’t pilot a lion, you would still be one of the most useful people on the team. What you do with the Blade? You could do so much more here with us—with me.”

 

“Lance, this is different. You have a place on the team—”

 

“Have you not been listening to me? Mullet! You’re such an idiot!” Lance yelled, pulling away from Keith once more. He sent the older teen a glare before storming out of the room. Keith let out a loud groan, cover his face in his hands. Had Lance always thought of himself that way?

 

“Fuck,” Keith mumbled. “What kind of boyfriend am I?”

 

* * *

 

 

“I don’t like fighting with you…Or at least, not fights like the one we had last night,” Lance murmured, leaning against Keith’s chest as the older teen wrapped his arms around his waist. Lance played with the ends of Keith’s hair as he gazed downwards.

 

“I don’t like those kinds of fights either,” Keith agreed, hands sneaking beneath Lance’s shirt to rub soothingly along smooth, warm skin. Lance paused in his motion of twirling Keith’s hair between his fingers.

 

“How about we do our best to avoid them then?” Lance suggested.

 

“That would mean we can’t bring up—”

 

“Yeah. I know,” Lance mumbled, looking away once more. “I know, but I _really_ don’t want to argue like that again.”

 

Keith breathed out heavily through his nose, staring into pleading blue oceans. Then he let out a groan. He leaned forward, resting his head against the crook of Lance’s neck.

 

“Alright. Okay.”

 

* * *

 

“I missed you, Keith.”

 

“I missed you, too,” Keith replied. Lance wanted to say more, Keith observed. It was written all over his face. But, he couldn’t bring up whatever it was because of their promise. Keith already knew what Lance wanted to say though. The younger teen had that same expression on his face whenever Keith would leave. The former red paladin couldn’t decide whether this was worse—this silent, sad expression…or this expression alongside pleading words.

 

Either way, Keith didn’t like it. He didn’t like that he was the one to put that expression on his boyfriend’s face. No, Lance should be smiling. He should be laughing and playfully teasing Keith. He shouldn’t be staring at Keith as if he would disappear in the next minute.

 

Keith spent the remainder of the day trying to make Lance forget about his future departure. When he finally managed to coax a smile and a laugh out of Lance and actually made him forget about everything but them, Kolivan called him and it was time to leave.

 

The way Lance’s face fell would forever be imprinted in Keith’s mind.

 

It made his heart hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

“What do you mean we can’t let him out?” Keith asked, fists clenched at his sides as he glared into Allura’s sad eyes.

 

“He lost a lot of blood, Keith. He was on the verge of death,” Allura explained. “He…It’s a miracle he’s still breathing.”

 

“What are you saying?”

 

“I’m saying that…If we take him out, he might…,” Allura trailed off, gaze falling to the floor.

 

“He might _what_?” Keith urged her on.

 

“He might…forget everything.”

 

“Keith, the princess is trying to find a planet with advanced medical intelligence so that we can provide the best possible help to Lance,” Shiro stepped in, arms folded across his chest. “We plan to leave him in the pod until we know the best way to handle the situation. We don’t want to cause Lance further harm.”

 

“…What. No. We aren’t leaving him in the pod! Who’s to say that won’t harm him more? And if he—if he forgets, we’ll just help him get his memories back. It happens all the time on Earth. Amnesia, right?”

 

“Keith, you know that some people never get those memories back,” Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s impossible to say how long it would take, too. And you know we cannot afford that. Not while we are at war with the Galra.”

 

 _Fuck the Galra! Lance is who we should be more concerned about—not fucking Voltron and the fuckin’ war_ , Keith thought bitterly as he glared at the pod withholding Lance from him.

 

“—Kolivan. The next mission. Keith? You listening?” Keith slowly tuned back in to listen to Shiro’s voice. Another mission? Right now?

 

No. He made this mistake before. He left Lance more than he could count on one hand. He was not going to leave his boyfriend’s side again. Not when said boyfriend was injured and needed Keith the most.

 

“Tell him I’m staying. I’m not leaving Lance’s side,” Keith stated. _Never again._

 

Shiro’s and Allura’s voices mixed into the background noise of the Castle as Keith focused on Lance’s peaceful face beyond the encasement of the healing pod he was currently residing in. Keith placed his palm on the surface and closed his eyes.

 

“Please don’t leave me,” Keith whispered, eyes burning behind closed eyelids. He realized he was repeating the same words that Lance used to whisper whenever it was time for Keith to leave. Before their promise…Before Lance kept his true feelings locked inside. Before Lance couldn’t hold in those words any longer.

 

Before Keith left him for the last time.

 

And at that moment, Keith recalled how he never said good-bye to Lance, that he left without a word. He felt his heart ache as he wondered how Lance must have felt the next morning. And Keith was the one to hurt Lance that way. Just how many times had he hurt his most precious person?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy. Sorry for the longer than usual wait. I'm like really sick, so sorry if this chapter isn't too great lol.


	6. Chapter 6

A week passed by with Lance still confined inside the healing pod. Throughout that week, different scenarios crossed Keith’s mind. Some happy, others not so much. He would imagine Lance falling out of the healing pod and into his awaiting arms. The younger teen would look up at him and hug him, begging Keith to never leave again. And this time, Keith would say yes. He would stay and they would be happy and everything would be okay.

 

Then there were the less happy scenarios where Lance would come out of the pod with no memories of anything since Earth. He would be confused, wondering where he was. He would beg them to return him to Earth. He would cry if they refused to. And Keith would feel his heart shatter to pieces with each tear that would fall from his lover’s beautiful blue eyes.

 

Or…Lance would remember everything. He would remember why they were in space. He would remember all their battles until the present day. He would remember everything but _Keith_. Keith would be erased from his boyfriend’s memory, and he wouldn’t be able to handle that. He'd be forced to watch Lance carry on with life, laughing happily with Hunk, fussing over Pidge as if she were his younger sibling, flirting with Allura, and—and…

 

And in the worst scenarios, Lance would lose his memories and never gain them back. Lance would never fall in love with Keith again. Lance would never open his eyes again for Keith to view the most beautiful blue eyes in the entire universe.

 

...

 

Keith sat down, leaning against the healing pod. His head was tilted upwards so he could catch a glimpse of his boyfriend’s beautiful face. His eyes slid closed as one of his many daydreams started up in his mind.

 

Lance was released from the healing pod, eyes blinking rapidly as he looked around the room with a curious expression. Keith was frozen in place as Hunk rushed forward to wrap his arms around the thin waist of the younger teen. Lance peered around his best friend to meet Keith’s uncertain gaze.

 

“…Keith?” The teen whispered, eyes shining with unshed tears. He pulled away from Hunk and crossed the room quickly to throw himself into Keith’s arms. Keith instantly wrapped his arms around the younger teen’s waist as Lance threw his arms around his neck.

 

“Lance,” Keith breathed out, staring into impossibly blue, _blue_ eyes.

 

“Keith,” Lance whispered back, his lips ghosting over Keith’s. “I missed you. I missed you so, so much. Don’t leave me again. Please.”

 

“I promise. I’ll never leave you, Lance. Never again,” Keith swore, his hands tightening their hold on his lover’s hips. And as he leaned in to kiss Lance deeply, everything around them faded—including Hunk’s tearful cheers.

 

“I love you.”

 

A shout sounded out, startling Keith from his brief daydream and wiping the dopey smile off his face as reality hit him. Lance was still in the healing pod. And Keith had just been caught up in his daydream. Once again.

 

He breathed out slowly, staring at his boyfriend’s sleeping face. Then he stood up and left the room to see what the commotion was about. He made it into the control room, finding his friends arguing.

 

“—safe! We can’t just go without having everything on them!” Shiro argued. “We can’t risk that right now.”

 

“We need to set our priorities straight, Shiro. You are the paladins of Voltron. It is our duty to help those in need. We cannot ignore this distress signal.”

 

“What are you guys arguing about?” Keith asked, crossing his arms. Allura and Shiro both glanced his way.

 

“Keith can pilot Red,” Allura said, her eyes lighting up. Shiro hummed in response.

 

“I guess that could work.”

 

“What?” Keith mumbled confusedly.

 

“We need to form Voltron and visit this nearby planet that is requesting help. They won’t give us much information. All they said was that we need to form Voltron and come down to help,” Shiro informed him with a shrug.

 

“But…Lance is the Red Paladin now. I…I can’t fly Red. You’ll just have to wait for Lance to recover,” Keith said. He also didn’t want to leave Lance’s side. His boyfriend could wake up at any moment. He wanted to be there for when his boyfriend came out. He wanted to be there to catch him and hold him close.

 

“Keith, this is important,” Allura said, her eyes pleading. “This planet’s people are asking us for our help. It is our duty as Voltron to come to their aid.”

 

Keith stood there silently for a short moment, a scowl on his face. He pursed his lips before letting out a sigh and giving in. He just hoped that he wasn’t going to regret this choice. He watched Allura brighten up, Shiro sending him a small smile. Keith just frowned at them for a brief second and left the room. He headed straight for the hangar where he found Red.

 

“Better to get this over with quickly. The sooner we finish, the sooner I’ll be able to be with Lance again,” Keith muttered to Red. He felt a wave of happiness from his lion. A smile made its way onto his face, and he reached out a hand to touch Red.

 

“Yeah. I missed you too, Red,” he chuckled. He entered his lion and readied himself to pilot Red. “Now, let’s get this over with.”

 

Red let out a roar and Keith laughed as they took off out of the hangar and down to the planet that sought their help.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Sorry again. I'm actually a lot better now. Yay. However, I wrote most of this chapter while I was still sick and I really didn't feel like editing, so sorry if there are any weird things in here. Lol. 
> 
> Anyway, I think we are reaching the end of this fic! Prepare yourselves. ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Lance stumbled forward blindly, arms waving around in an attempt to steady himself. He fell to his knees on the solid ground that was the Castle’s floor and blinked open his eyes. Cloudy blue eyes scanned the room as he pulled himself to his feet. There was nobody there to welcome him back.

 

But that was to be expected. Keith…He didn’t care about Lance. He was always _leaving_. He was never going to stay. Even when Lance was severely injured, his boyfriend always prioritized Voltron and fighting Zarkon. The universe was always going to come first—and Lance knew that was the right thing to do, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

 

Lance let out a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t blame Keith. Lance was worthless. He had always been worthless. It was surprising that Keith even wanted him as a boyfriend. Of course everyone in the universe would be worth more than him and his petty needs. Lance would always be the last person on Keith’s mind. It was time that he came to accept that.

 

Suddenly, Allura’s shout startled him out of his thoughts. She was yelling at everyone to form Voltron and take down the Robeast that was attacking the planet. He ran towards the hangar, hoping to get Red and join the fight before it was too late. In the back of his mind, he knew something was off. How could Allura expect them to form Voltron without Red?

 

_He came back for Red. Not for Lance._

 

He found his answer as he skidded to a halt before Red’s empty hangar. Everything came crashing down all at once in his mind. Keith was probably piloting Red at that moment. He probably realized just how valuable he was to Voltron. He must have finally realized that Lance was replaceable, that Lance was just holding his place while Keith got himself together.

 

_He was staying for Voltron. Not for Lance._

 

Something wet slid down Lance’s face, but he ignored it in favor of drowning in his dark thoughts. This whole time, Lance could’ve just gone back home to Earth. He was never needed here. Even his own boyfriend didn’t need him. Lance let out a harsh, watery laugh. He fell to his knees for the second time that day, hands coming up to swipe at his crystal blue eyes that stung. The pain he felt at that moment—that moment where he realized just how _worthless_ he truly was—was the worst pain he had ever felt in his entire life. Even worse than the pain that had him sent to the pods.

 

_Never for Lance._

 

The heart-wrenching sob he released echoed throughout the empty hangar, never to reach the ears of his teammates or his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor baby. :'(


	8. Chapter 8

The battle was won and the team returned to the Castle, laughing and joking all the way. Keith laughed at the joke that spilled past Hunk’s lips, the bulkier teen bumping shoulders with the mullet haired teen. Keith stumbled over a bit, but laughed harder. Pidge was tackling Hunk’s other side as she chattered on about a new lead for finding her brother. Shiro was standing off to the side, arms crossed and a wide smile on his face as he watched over his team.

 

They separated to go to their rooms before they would meet up again to eat. Keith watched his friends go, a fond smile on his face. He started towards the healing pods to check on Lance, but stopped when he heard a sniffle to his far right. Turning around, he scanned the dark corners of the room. Stormy grey eyes met glistening blue eyes.

 

“Lance?” Keith called out, questioningly. He rushed forward towards his boyfriend who was curling further into himself, hands reaching towards his face. Keith knelt beside Lance, hands pressed against his boyfriend’s tear-stained cheeks.

 

Keith realized that Lance must have woken up alone. Nobody was there to catch him when he fell out of the healing pod. Nobody was there to talk to him, to walk him to his room, to hold him close.

 

“Fuck. Baby,” Keith cursed, resting his forehead against Lance’s as he peered into the depths of never-ending blues. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wanted to be there when you got out. Fuck. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lance.”

 

The younger teen sniffled but said nothing as Keith stared into his eyes and pleaded. Keith could see that his words were not reaching his boyfriend, his heart clenching as beautiful blue eyes dulled and crystalline tears dripped down smooth skin. Keith moved to wrap his arms around Lance, pulling him close, brushing his chapped lips against his boyfriend’s forehead.

 

“Baby, what’s wrong? Lance,” Keith mumbled against warm, smooth skin. “Tell me what’s wrong, baby.”

 

Lance sobbed loudly, hands reaching up to clench around Keith’s armor. Each miserable sound escaping plush lips had Keith’s heart shattering in his chest, his hold on his boyfriend tightening almost painfully. He wished he knew what Lance was thinking. Luckily, he didn’t have to guess for long because his lover let out all his thoughts.

 

“Y-You don’t love me, Keith. You never did,” Lance cried, clawing at Keith’s armor, his eyes squeezed shut as tears ran continuously down his face. Keith was stunned at the words that left his love’s mouth. Opening his own to refute what was being said and show— _prove_ —how much he loved Lance, he was interrupted unintentionally by the teen himself.

 

“You…When I asked you to stay, you,” Lance cut himself off with a broken sob and a few hiccups, “you never wanted to. Only when Voltron—only for Voltron you would stay. Voltron is your priority. And I know…I know it should be…I can’t help but feel this way, though! I know you don’t love me, Keith. You only pity me. I was a placeholder…Always replaceable…You…You’ve finally realized how worthless I am, and that is why you are back. That’s why you’re staying.”

 

Keith stared wide-eyed at Lance, mouth agape. Lance laughed hysterically, pulling away from Keith, out of his grasp. He brought himself to his feet and stared down at Keith, wiping his eyes with his left arm.

 

“But I love you, Keith! And that’s why…That’s why I can’t do this,” Lance said, voice thick with emotions of sadness. Keith noticed by the way Lance’s feet shuffled and the way his fingers twitched that his boyfriend was going to bolt. He realized this, and yet he couldn’t move. He could only watch, stunned as he remained kneeling on the ground, as the love of his life ran away from him with the belief—the _stupid_ belief—that Keith did not love him. Just thinking that Lance believed Keith didn’t love him had Keith angry at himself, an anger that bubbled up and split him down to the core, burning his insides painfully. How could he have led Lance to feel this way?

 

And how stupid was he, just staying still and not moving after him?

 

Keith stood up and dashed out of the hangar after his boyfriend, frantically calling out his name. He didn’t want Lance to go on any longer believing that Keith didn’t love him. He’d rather let the Galra Empire take over the entire universe than let Lance go on believing that Keith never loved him, that Keith still doesn’t love him. Hell, Keith only truly and completely loved one person and would only ever love one person, and that person would always and forever be Lance.

 

He found himself at Lance’s door pounding his fists against the metal separating him from his universe. The door slid open, and Keith rushed over to the bed, gathering the lump in blankets into his arms.

 

“I fuckin’ love you, Lance. You are my universe,” Keith declared, pulling at the blankets desperately to reveal a tear-stained face. “I’m not staying for Voltron. I didn’t even come back for fuckin’ damn Voltron! I came back for you, Lance. It’s always been for you. Everything I do. I only think of you. I only love you. I only prioritize you. Voltron wasn’t on my mind when you were in that healing pod, Lance. Fighting and forming Voltron was far from my mind.”

 

He brushed a pale hand against smooth skin, watching as teary blue eyes lit up slightly. Keith leaned in to brush his lips against Lance’s.

 

“I love you, Lance,” Keith said. “I was stupid. I’m sorry for hurting you. I never meant to hurt you.”

 

“You…You mean it?” Lance asked quietly, blinking at Keith and tilting his head. “You love me? You love me despite my—”

 

“Don’t you dare call yourself worthless,” Keith snapped. Then sighed as Lance flinched. “We’ll need to work on your insecurities. Those will take time. But…I don’t ever want you to doubt my love for you. That’s…That’s something I absolutely cannot have, okay? I love you. I love you so much.”

 

Keith watched as Lance blinked back tears and bit his lip to keep a smile from stretching across his face. He reached out to wrap his arms around the younger teen, pulling him close.

 

“I love you,” Keith repeated and kissed Lance deeply. He felt Lance wrap his arms around his shoulders, hands entangled in his hair. They pulled away for a quick breath before diving back in. Soon, Keith found himself hovering over Lance, who was sprawled out on his bed, blue eyes staring up at him.

 

“I love you,” Keith said again, voice rough as he kissed over his boyfriend’s eyelids, down his cheeks, back over to his soft lips. Lance moaned softly beneath him, hands still tangled in Keith’s hair. Keith had his hands on both sides of Lance’s face, caging his lover in.

 

“Only you. Forever you. Lance, I love you.”

 

And Keith poured his love into Lance, making sure the younger teen would never forget and never doubt this truth ever again. Keith would always and forever love Lance. Lance would always be Keith’s universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, first of all, I'm sorry for the long wait. Lol.
> 
> Well, this is it! I think this is where I'll end it. Tell me what you all think! :)


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